In the field of this invention it is known that there are currently code division multiple access communications (CDMA) systems that operate at a single chip rate. As demand grows for bandwidth intensive applications, telecommunications will have to be carried at ever higher chip rates. It may be difficult for an organisation that operates a telecommunications network (an operator) to perform the transition between operating a lower chip rate and a higher chip rate network.
The existing method to manage the transition between operating at a lower chip rate and a higher chip rate is for the operator to fully roll out a lower chip rate network before rolling out a higher chip rate network. If there are “islands” of higher chip rate coverage, the network will be able to hand over (to the high chip rate network cells) users with equipment capable of operation at both the lower and higher chip rate who enter the “island”: this provides some element of backward compatibility between the low and high chip rate networks. During such a transition period, the network operator will provide some subscribers with user equipment that is capable of operating at both the lower and the higher chip rates. During this transition period, the operator will only be able to use its lower chip rate network equipment to service the majority of users: only those (probably new) users that have been supplied with user equipment capable of operating at the higher chip rate will be able to get service from the higher chip rate network equipment.
However, a problem with the above-described existing method of managing the transition between high and low chip rates is that there is a time during which the network operator is investing in higher chip rate equipment (presumably since the network operator believes that more network capacity is required), but is unable to gain significant revenue from users on this equipment (only those users who have been supplied with dual mode low chip rate/high chip rate equipment will be able to use the newly installed high chip rate equipment). There is thus a built-in reluctance for the network operator to upgrade its network to higher chip rate equipment. In this case, users may suffer from a poorer service, network operators may suffer from either missed revenue that could be obtained from new and enhanced services at the higher chip rate or having to invest in network equipment from which little revenue is additionally obtained, equipment providers may suffer from network operators being unwilling to invest in higher chip rate network equipment until users have been upgraded to higher chip rate user equipment.
A further problem arises in the case where a network operates equipment at a higher chip rate and users roam onto that network with lower chip rate equipment. If the user's equipment is incapable of operating at the higher chip rate, the user will not receive service and the network will lose possible revenue that could have been derived from the roaming user.
A need therefore exists for support of multiple chip rates wherein the abovementioned disadvantage(s) may be alleviated.